Category Archives: EVERYDAY LIFE

Swiss Life… 30 Things I WISH I had known…What a great find!!

As an expat living in Switzerland off and on for the past 13 years, I wish I had this book in the beginning! It explained so much and helped me to understand my feelings, even 13 years later. At the time I just dove right in to this new culture!

My first visit here

I Loved reading this book! As someone blessed to have lived abroad in Switzerland this book was eye opening and at times I was sure it was me who wrote it!

I completely understood where the author was coming from because I have lived it. I even connected with her on Facebook!

It also helped me to understand my actions and words after coming back to the US after being in Switzerland for an extended period! You really become so critical after living the Swiss life and then you return to the US and everywhere you look you see something just out of place! I had some good laughs reading this and I definitely recommend it.

People never having been to Switzerland really don’t understand!! The Swiss really life live so differently from us… you really have to experience it to understand it. They have great respect for all that surrounds them!

I’ll be looking back at great memories made!

This is so well written and so dang true!! Anyone who is planning to live in Switzerland as an American or any expat needs to read this book!

I have traveled more than the average American and can say no where have I ever been to that I have seen such organized trash detail and this is all of Switzerland and not just a village! Seriously you open up a trash container and the all gray bags are neatly aligned! They seriously all work as a team to keep their country pristine! You could use the metal trash bin as a mirror!!

I feel blessed to have had dual citizenship and the amazing benefits Switzerland gave me! As of this month I have given my Swiss visa back and look forward to exploring a entirely different country with my husband… Off to new Adventures and this time I will blog along the way… Who knows…Maybe I’ll write a new book!!! My adventures in ___________!!!!

As my husband and I were minutes away from our destination. A quaint village Soriano Nel Cimino,Italy. A place we have been twice before in a span of 6 years and although it wasn’t often… It felt as though we were coming home!

We have no residence here,in Sorinao Nel Cimino and we stay in a time share ‘resort’ it’s not your usual resort with a pool and all the amenities next to the big beautiful sea. But up on a hill a very steep hill sits a historical building, once a Palace said to house a son of a Pope! But back to my point!! It’s not the resort or the location that gave us this warm feeling! It’s memories of the prior years of our days spent at the Piazza mingling with the locals who are the friendliest people we have ever met on our journeys. They greet you in the morning the afternoon and evening! They chatter…they smile and look in to your eyes!

Here we are tourists invading their amazing quaint and full of so much life village and they love it! They live there and just don’t go through the actions… They live life to the fullest!!!

You hear so many different conversations going on… Laughter and many hand movements… They are Italian! They meet and greet each other on benches next to the road and at the Cafe Bar. The people of this village don’t sit in their homes all day! But spend most of it outside! I love how you can hear Soriano Nel Cimino slowly wake up in the morning and then vibrantly till after lunch and then it’s as though All of Soriano Nel Cimino is in a Siesta mode and once again around 5ish you hear the life of this village! And you just can’t wait to get out and live among the locals!!

I was in a conversation with a new friend and he was shocked to hear that America has no Piazza! He asked where you visit with your neighbors and sadly I said we don’t come together and therefore not everyone even knows their neighbor! Shocking for him. He couldn’t believe it. In a moment I was sadden cause what living we are missing out on! The locals take such an importance on remaining social and being outdoors. Enjoying a coffee or a beer. Most noteworthy is how the elderly gentleman group together… Together being the main thought here!! How wonderful that they are not growing old alone but together!!

The elderly walk up the very steep mountain hills with no problem where I’ve seen younger visitors struggle. I just love seeing this kind of community! The locals of Soriano Nel Cimino are one big family.

If you want to really see Italy!! This is the place. It is so close to Rome, Tuscany and Florence. We visit these very touristy cities in Italy but are always so happy to return to Soriano. It is relaxing. You will experience real Italian cuisine at Rottezzia. Voted #1 by Trip Advisor. Read about them here.

This is a family run restaurant in a cave! Mama cooks, and it is amazing!! Egisto, the father, meets and greets the guests and you’ll find him joining guests for meals. Speaks great english and has become our friend. Emanuel, the son, runs the bar and Giada, is your hostess along with some other family members. It is our favorite place in Italy to eat!! Aside from Mama’s house!

My grandmother in her younger days made this soap in a bar form. When I opened up this bottle the scent of it brought back such great memories of being in her basement in her room full of this Castile soap. She used it for everything! Although it states Unscented. Castile soap has a very light scent. You may not even notice it, I think I noticed cause of my childhood memories.
I have been using this Castile Soap to do the dishes, including baby bottles. I have sprayed stained bibs with it. I have cleaned the kitchen counter and the kitchen floor. I measured 1/4 cup of the Castile Soap and poured it into this 32oz bottle pictured below and added water to fill it up. I use this in my stainless steel sinks and it sure makes them shine. I will also spray this into my own hands when needed. This can be used for everything and anything. Your bathroom, your laundry, clean your fruits and vegetables and clean yourself! I don’t think I had ever had a cleaner that was safe for all of this.
I received this at no cost for my honest and unbiased review. This is a product I will for sure purchase again.

I love using clove essential oil and was excited to see it in a 4oz bottle. I had never purchased this brand and was a bit turned off by the scent of it. But I decided to go ahead and use it in the same way I use my more costly clove oil. I use on my wrists if I have to much strain on them and I also rub it on my lower back. I always use a carrier oil. This First Botany didn’t give me the warming feeling I was accustomed too. The scent it has seems almost artificial and I was happy that about 15 minutes after applying I could no longer smell it. It just isn’t pleasant at all. I also did the taste test and pure clove oil is hot! I have put a drop of my normal brand on my toothbrush and my mouth was on fire for a good hour afterwards. This one didn’t even burn a little bit. The bottle says it is 100% pure and natural and had I never tried other clove oils, I might believe but its just doesn’t appear to be 100% pure.‪#‎fbclove‬ If you’re interested you can find it here.

Definitely a first here! Handcrafted sunglasses made from Bamboo. They are so light, I can barely tell I am wearing them aside from the great high quality certified polarized lenses. keeping my eyes shaded. I haven’t tested this…but they FLOAT in water! Awesome for water activities. They have a 100% money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied and they will even pay postage! They are Lifetime guaranteed too! They come with an awesome Bamboo storage container! You can find many uses for this! They are not just for your sunglasses! Find them here http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Crafted-Genuine-B…/…/ref=sr_1_39…‪#‎corboardracks‬